Garage door is balking

[Tom7227]

The garage door keeps reversing while I try to lower it.  I have tried resetting the opener but it hasn't worked.  I can't see any obstructions in the rails and the rollers all look good.  The door is only 3 years old but in the cold it just balks.

I am to the point where I think I need to clean the rails and lube them.  Grease or oil seem like a bad choice because they will gum things up.  What do you recommend that I use - if anything?

Thanks for your time.

Tom

[beeker]

By the garage doors at menards they have a specific lube for garage doors. Also I had a door that used to do the same thing but it was not predictable.. what it turned out to be was the sun would hit the reflectors for the safety laser. You may want to clean those lasers and make sure they aligned they could be all goobered up and got kicked one to many times.

[Leech~~]

The garage door keeps reversing while I try to lower it.  I have tried resetting the opener but it hasn't worked.  I can't see any obstructions in the rails and the rollers all look good.  The door is only 3 years old but in the cold it just balks.

I am to the point where I think I need to clean the rails and lube them.  Grease or oil seem like a bad choice because they will gum things up.  What do you recommend that I use - if anything?

Thanks for your time.

Tom

Two things.
#1 if you have the safety eye's near the bottom they may have gotten out of adjustment and the door is breaking the beam when it goes down.
#2 when it gets cold you may have to adjust the down tension a little more. And like suggested above get the garage door lube and shoot everything.

[Steve-o]

#1 if you have the safety eye's near the bottom they may have gotten out of adjustment and the door is breaking the beam when it goes down.

This.  It took me a while to figure mine out, but I noticed that one of the rails my safety eye was mounted to would flex just enough at the bottom when the door came down to cause the beam to lose contact.

[Boar]

After a few years a new door can jiggle loose and become un-square, gereally the rails, things need to be tighten up. After youve checked the lazer eye saftey feature

[Rebel SS]

You need to look at the easiest thing first. Clean off those eyes with alcohol and Q-tip, and make sure beam is square and in-line with eyes. They will get out of adjustment too, turn yer down force screw 1/4 turn clockwise. After all that, if it still does it, something is binding somewhere. As for grease on door rollers/rails, that just collects crud and dust. Use a light liquid spray like LPS or silicone on rails and rollers. I've installed and worked on many doors in the past....like my own, too. 

[Gunner55]

All good ideas, typically we'll check the electric eyes for alignment 1st. Have used a little lube before too, but usually found what Boar said was true. Some of the hardware had worked a little loose, either on the door itself or occasionally part of the rail had came out of alignment. Most of the time it turned out to be the safety eyes were a little off.

[Rebel SS]

Boar's eyes. Just had to. 

     

[Leech~~]

All good ideas, typically we'll check the electric eyes for alignment 1st. Have used a little lube before too, but usually found what Boar said was true. Some of the hardware had worked a little loose, either on the door itself or occasionally part of the rail had came out of alignment. Most of the time it turned out to be the safety eyes were a little off.

So then your saying what Leech~~ said may be true as well!     

[Steve-o]

Here's yer problem...

[beeker]

Sometimes a good talking too may fix the problem the door could just be sad or cold

[dew2]

Tom spray each roller and shaft down with WD-40,Then work the door.
 I installed lots years back and many times got called back in winter Mostly rollers with  stiff grease,Frost heave would be safety beam alignment.BUT if it works then stops  near the same place each time Use the wd40 till warm spring then clean with carb cleaner and use a lub for cold weather.

PS tom you used to know me as sparcebag

[Tom7227]

Thanks for the info.  Checked and everything was tight.  I cleaned the rails and the eye jobberdo and the door works fine now.

[Leech~~]

Thanks for the info.  Checked and everything was tight.  I cleaned the rails and the eye jobberdo and the door works fine now.

No Like button showing?  LIKE.

[glenn57]

Thanks for the info.  Checked and everything was tight.  I cleaned the rails and the eye jobberdo and the door works fine now.

No Like button showing?  LIKE.

there's always the applaud button!!

[mike89]

Thanks for the info.  Checked and everything was tight.  I cleaned the rails and the eye jobberdo and the door works fine now.

No Like button showing?  LIKE.

there's always the applaud button!!

 

[Rebel SS]

Leech never said to clean off the beam lens. No Like needed.

[Bobberineyes]

I think it all depends on the set up. We had an old heavy wood door with an old opener, worked great in the warm season but  fought the same issues in the cold. The eyes had nothing to do with those problems. I would wipe down the rail,  spray the chain and it worked fine. Fast foreword that herky jerky set up is gone. Ever notice they run nice and smooth in the warm but the cold they can jump around and hesitate... it's called lubrication.

[Leech~~]

Leech never said to clean off the beam lens. No Like needed.

Ok, ok Reb gets a pat on the back too, for the beam cleaner ideer! 

[Gunner55]

Yeah Leech~~ I noticed that (like button) yday too or that would've been my reply instead of repeating your post. Tom  ya got it workin. I did fail to mention yday that we did have 1 time where we actually had to replace the electric eyes on Mom's garage door. The 1 in the corner where all the stuff gets put quit workin.

[Leech~~]

Yeah Leech~~ I noticed that (like button) yday too or that would've been my reply instead of repeating your post. Tom  ya got it workin. I did fail to mention yday that we did have 1 time where we actually had to replace the electric eyes on Mom's garage door. The 1 in the corner where all the stuff gets put quit workin.

LIKE

Don't tell the safety Nuzis.  But when I installed my last door opener. I just taped the two safety eye's together and left it on top of the opener motor! Don't have any little kids around anymore and hate the durn things! 

[attachment deleted by admin]

[mike89]

that's where both of mine are..........  still together on top of the motor....

[Leech~~]

that's where both of mine are..........  still together on top of the motor....

LIKE

[glenn57]

that's where both of mine are..........  still together on top of the motor....

LIKE

this is weird, noticed some time back some threads have the LIKE some don't??????????????

HD get on it!!!!!!!

[Rebel SS]

that's where both of mine are..........  still together on top of the motor....

Mine are still installed "properly" on the wood door frame....but one above the other, facing each other a foot apart. 

[Leech~~]

Mine are still installed "properly" on the wood door frame....but one above the other, facing each other a foot apart. 

    

[mike89]

Mine are still installed "properly" on the wood door frame....but one above the other, facing each other a foot apart.